The Government has approved plans to extend the DART further north to Drogheda and install electric-powered services by 2026. 

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan secured the agreement from Cabinet today to enter the DART + Coastal North rail project into the planning system. 

The project will extend the existing DART line from Malahide to Drogheda, Co Louth. 

This extension will upgrade rail services at Clongriffin, Donabate, Balbriggan and Skerries. 

The DART + project is now subject to approval from An Bord Pleanála, with a planning application to be submitted by July. 

Construction works on the new route could commence later this decade, taking approximately three years to complete. 

Electric DART by 2026

In the meantime, Mr Ryan also got approval to roll out 65 new battery and electric-powered DART carriages between Dublin and Drogheda, replacing diesel. 

These new DART carriages will be implemented by 2026. Irish Rail previously reported the electric-powered DARTs would be implemented by 2025.

Under these new plans, passenger capacity between Malahide and Drogheda will increase from approximately 4,800 people travelling at peak hours in the busiest direction to 8,800. 

The multi-billion-euro DART + Coastal North project aims to treble the DART rail network from 53km to 150km. 

It also seeks to expand west to Maynooth and the M3 Parkway and south-west to Hazelhatch and Celbridge.

An electric DART. 02/05/2024. Image: Newstalk

Mr Ryan said the Cabinet approval represents “another milestone in our commitment to develop sustainable public transport infrastructure”. 

“The Coastal North scheme will improve rail links to thriving and expanding towns and communities like Balbriggan, Gormanston and Laytown on the way to Drogheda, itself a lively, growing town,” he said. 

“This is about giving more people, more transport choices, so that they can choose to leave the car at home more often.” 

National Transport Authority (NTA) Chief Anne Graham said the project will be “particularly beneficial to commuters living in growing areas such as Clongriffin and Donabate”. 

The DART + project seeks to increase the number of people living within 1km of a DART station from 250,000 at present to 600,000.